Community Navigator

Compensation Range: $21/hr - $24/hr commensurate with experience 

Benefits:
We have three comprehensive healthcare plans to choose from based on your priorities and budget. Housing Works covers most of the plan; you pay a portion, based on your salary. Staff begins accruing PTO immediately for a total of up to 30 days earned in the first year. We offer employees an educational benefit. This money is available for tuition loan reimbursement, tuition costs, and text books.

Overview:

The Community Engagement Navigator (CEN) promotes the health and wellbeing of substance users and is the main link between clients and agency services. CENs conduct community engagement activities, including harm reduction-based outreach, overdose prevention trainings, and education for safer injection practices and other high-risk activities. CENs must be knowledgeable about community resources, including educational, social and emotional support services available to clients. The CEN will provide representation within program catchment areas, with specific focus on parks, shelters, areas experiencing increased syringe litter, homelessness, and encampments in lower Manhattan and East New York. Duties may also include client recruitment, administering surveys, data gathering, event organizing, and performing various administrative tasks.

Responsibilities:

• Conduct outreach in assigned catchment areas; provide health promotion, health education, and risk reduction counseling.
• Conduct an initial assessment with each client to assess his/her/their health and wellness status and experience with getting health care.
• Assist with service planning and care coordination with appropriate agency staff, including routine communication with all members of the care team.
• Provide routine follow-up and communication with clients on a regular basis to keep them engaged and assess progress toward service goals.
• Complete and submit service documentation in a timely and efficient manner.
• Attend meetings and trainings as deemed appropriate and relate to the scope of service.
• Adhere to workplace policies and procedures, including confidentiality, documentation, channels of communication, workplace culture, and conflict resolution.

Other Functions

• Participate in quality assurance and quality improvement planning projects and activities as directed • Participates in weekly staff and peer worker development meetings and interventions.

Requirements:

• High school diploma or General Equivalency Diploma required or higher.
• Ability to make entries into program databases such as AIRS, e-Share, EiCare
• Good verbal, written, communication and interpersonal skills.
• Use of computer software (Microsoft Office Suite including Word and Outlook calendaring, and Excel).
• Culturally aware and sensitive to PWUD (People Who Use Drugs), PLWHA (People Living with HIV/AIDS), LGBTQAI, YIDU (Young Intravenous Drug Users), SMI (Severe Mental Illness), and MSM (Men who have Sex with Men)
• Preferable training in the following areas:
  • Motivational Interviewing
  • Syringe exchange, harm reduction, overdose prevention
  • HIV confidentiality
  • Risk-reduction counseling
• Ability to make introductions and connections with members of the community
• Safer injection and overdose prevention training experience
• Good verbal, written, communication and interpersonal skills.
• Use of computer software --Microsoft Office Suite including Word and Outlook calendaring, and Excel
• Documentation experience
• Bilingual in Spanish/English helpful Position

Job candidates should be aware that scammers may pose as employers and create fake job postings in order to extract personal information from individuals for financial gain. Housing Works will never ask job candidates for personal information, such as social security numbers or bank account details, over the phone. If you suspect that a job posting may be fake or wish to confirm that a job posting from Housing Works is genuine, please contact us at recruitment@housingworks.org

Housing Works was founded in 1990; With a long-term commitment to AIDS advocacy. Housing Works established New York State’s first harm reduction-based, OASAS-licensed outpatient drug treatment program. Other services include Health Home care management, behavioral health, and syringe exchange programs. A pioneer in the social entrepreneurship movement, Housing Works operates 10 high-end thrift shops in Manhattan and Brooklyn and a much-loved Bookstore Cafe in Soho. For more information, visit www.housingworks.org

Housing Works fights for funding and legislation to ensure that all people living with HIV/AIDS have access to quality housing, healthcare, HIV prevention, and treatment, among other lifesaving services.

Housing Works provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements. Housing Works complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. Housing Works also does not request prior salary information during the hiring process. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

This position is included in a bargaining unit of Housing Works’ New York City employees represented by a labor union known as the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union (“RWDSU”). Accordingly, the RWDSU has the exclusive right to bargain over the terms and conditions of employment related to this position and this position may become covered by the terms of a collective bargaining agreement (a “CBA”) between Housing Works and the RWDSU

Salary : $21 - $24